


Interlude - Artificial Hearts

by Warflower



Series: Cain´s modern murder mysteries [8]
Category: Cain Saga and Godchild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cassandra is creepy, Cassian POV, Gen, Mentions of the trafficing of drugs/weapons/organs/people, as well as Cassandras abuse of his too young sexual partners and harrassement of Jizabel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 17:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10836243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warflower/pseuds/Warflower
Summary: There is a new project for Delilah´s organ trafficing division





	Interlude - Artificial Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Cassandra,
> 
> Otherwise enjoy!

Over the past month, Cassian had seen more blood and corpses than he ever could have imagined, not that he didn´t expect it, but expectation and reality were two things, really. 

The dead had lost the rest of terror they induced in him, they weren´t human after all, not anymore. 

More than ever Zenopia´s morgue had become Cassian´s living room, the measuring glasses his teacups and the scalpels were used for everything, from opening up torsos to making sandwiches, he even started to understand why they were Dr. Disraeli´s weapon of choice. 

While the doctor himself took certainly some getting used to, Cassian was getting there. He was mercurial in his moods and meticulous in his work, with exception of Zenopia he avoided the Major Arcana whenever possible. Cassian quietly suspected that Jizabel had chosen his post more for the isolation it granted him than for the work itself, even if he did enjoy it.

Cassian didn´t mind the work, he was physically active, even more so than he had been working with the Wands in weapons and with Zenopia constantly improving his hormones, he got stronger every day. 

Unfortunately, it wasn´t physical strength that was required today, it was a strong set of nerves as a missive ordered Major Arcana Hermit and Death and Minor Arcana Interference to meet with the Sword´s overseer. 

Who the overseer in question was Cassian had yet to figure out, a Major Arcana, that much was certain.

 

Zenopia and the doctor were seated in one of Delilah´s many underground offices, Cassian was standing behind them, cleaning his knives, Jizabel fidgeted in his chair, he seemed distinctly uncomfortable. 

The room was messy, badly lit, with furniture that threatened to collapse if you put any weight on it, despite the paper mountains that covered it of course. There were black and white photographs taped to the walls, but with the sparse lighting Cassian couldn´t say what they depicted. 

Two men entered, the second Cassian´s least favourite member of Delilah. 

That the Fool was the head of the Swords Cassian should have guessed, after all their main occupation wasn´t organ acquisition, but smuggling drugs, and if there was one person among the higher ups that seemed constantly high, it was the White Owl. 

He was younger than Cassian, barely older than Jizabel, probably just shy of thirty, a lanky albino with tousled pale hair who hid his red eyes behind dark sunglasses. He was rarely seen without his violin, even now its case was strapped over his shoulder like a backpack.

Accompanying him was none other than Lord Cassandra Gladstone, the High Priest of the Major Arcana and the one man whose face Cassian had started to picture during target practice. 

He was as sleazily elegant as always and naturally his eyes wandered to the reason of his visit near immediately. Jizabel pretended not to notice, but his shoulders stiffened.

-Sir- Zenopia broke the silence. White Owl did not seem like the person to insist on deference of any kind, but with Lord Gladstone present it was better to be safe than sorry. 

-No need for that- White Owl made a handwaving gesture and took a seat on his desk, which creaked dangerously, Lord Gladstone remained standing. 

-We were called here- Zenopia continued -May I ask why? – 

-Certainly, certainly- White Owl stretched his legs -There´s a project of utmost importance for you, an order directly from the Cardmaster…- 

Jizabel flinched at the mention of his father. 

Lord Gladstone sneered at the doctor -It seems Daddy is handing out favours again- 

Cassian´s fist clenched around his knive´s handle, Jizabel was not reacting at all. 

Owl cleared his throat -If I may continue…- 

Gladstone was still sneering but thankfully, for the moment, he remained silent.

-As the demand for organ donations is steadily growing, our current system of acquisition is not effective enough to stand of its own- 

-Especially if half the potential donations are held back to fulfil one little boy´s organ fetish- Gladstone interrupted, again. 

He was one to talk, Cassian thought, like the Fool oversaw the Swords, and the Moon and Justice oversaw the Pentacles and the Wands, the High Priest oversaw the Cups, Delilah´s forays into prostitution and human trafficking. 

He often supplied Cassian´s sub-division with donors, recently deceased or still dying. Many of them were his personal playthings, victims Cassian corrected himself, they were victims. 

He had only joined he morgue about a month ago, but he had already seen three of them, tortured to death or tossed out when he got bored with them, those were not picked up from the streets of London, they were trafficked by the Cups, intended workers Gladstone held back, he should be the last to judge Jizabel´s collection. 

-So how are we supposed to bolster our stocks? – Zenopia asked.

-I´m getting there, or at least I would be if I wasn´t constantly being interrupted- he shot a glare towards Gladstone, who was still occupied undressing Jizabel with his eyes. 

Maybe Cassian should inquire into workplace harassment. 

-Anyways, - Owl took up again -The Cardmaster wants you to start 3D-engeniering artificial organs, can you do that? –

The two doctors exchanged glances. -We can probably do it- Zenopia declared. 

-But is there any specific reason why? – Jizabel asked. 

-The reasons are privy to the Cardmaster- Gladstone was stepping towards Jizabel´s chair, using his height and standing position to intimidate. -You would do better not to be so nosy, Jezebel. One might get the idea you are planning to interfere with the Cardmaster´s plans… -

Owl decided to cut Gladstone short -What is relevant now is that there´s a test subject coming in in two weeks, so you are to prepare a heart to fit her. I´ve got some of her DNA plus some body data, so you should be fine- 

-Saving somebody without killing another- Zenopia nodded, probably already thinking about all the necessities to build an artificial heart, Jizabel, meanwhile, seemed deep in thought.

The discussion of details went on for another five to ten minutes, but eventually they agreed that they would do what they could to get the heart ready in time, the time frame was almost impossibly tight after all, but they wanted to be ready on time, so Gladstone´s offer of taking in the subject in the interim would not have to be taken up. 

 

-I hate that guy- Cassian complained after they had been dismissed, they were headed back to the morgue. He was walking next to Zenopia, Jizabel silently trailing after them.

Zenopia nodded -While we are hardly in a position to judge, I do agree that Cassandra is an especially unpleasant person, whose proclivities ought to be condemned-

-Only condemned? – Cassian asked -Not stopped? You see how young they are. – 

Zenopia looked vexed, probably recalling Lord Gladstone´s preference for effeminate teenage boys -I know, Cassian, but we are living outside the law, that means as long as nobody interferes, he can do what he wants-

-Interfere? – Cassian smirked without humour, thinking of his card. -What about harassing other Arcana? Do the higher ups care about that? His obsession with Jizabel is unhealthy, you have to agree! – 

Cassian turned to look at the doctor for confirmation and stopped in his tracks, apparently Jizabel had long disappeared.

-I do, I do, believe me- Zenopia assured him -It is highly disturbing that the Cardmaster doesn´t intervene…as you will likely see next week-

-What will I see? – Zenopia´s statement he found heavily disconcerting. 

The Hermit smiled sadly. Apparently, Gladstone had the unfortunate habit of finding himself victims resembling the doctor, whenever he had recently interacted with Jizabel. 

Cassian shuddered at the thought, Jizabel had to see the corpses of his replacements, knowing that they were only substitutes and he himself was the intended victim. 

-Where is the doctor? – he asked, for once deciding not to supress his protective urges. 

-Jizabel will be fine- Zenopia insisted -He´s probably in his rooms, our new project has probably done a job on him- 

-Our new project, why? – Cassian questioned, but waved Zenopia off before he could answer -Forget it, I´m going over to check on him. –

 

The doctor´s rooms were at the end of an abandoned corridor, isolated from the rest of Delilah´s vast underground base. So far, Cassian had only been here once, when the Doctor was late one morning after a night of drinking with the Cardmaster. 

Carefully Cassian leaned against the door, listening. While eavesdropping was an impolite thing to do, opening the door while Jizabel was having a temper tantrum was worse, and Cassian´s philosophy was better being rude, than being dead.

The room´s inside was quiet, no temper tantrums then, Cassian cracked open the door.

Jizabel was sitting at his desk, halfway slumped into his chair, flasks and vials and other containers lined up on the table top in front of him, organs swimming in their preservative fluids. His fingers were carefully trailing a glass cylinder containing a human heart. 

-We´re supposed to work with this new technology, you know- he whispered, candlelight caught in his hair, the heart didn´t answer. 

-Saving lives without taking them, can you believe that- 

Cassian swallowed, he too was still getting used to the idea, the improvement, but watching doctor Cassian silently questioned if the kid saw it as such. Jizabel´s expression was unreadable. 

-If we had known- Jizabel shuddered -they gave me till thirty, if he had known…-

-You wouldn´t have to be dead, mom- Cassian bit back a curse, the kid looked heartbroken -You and my sisters, if this works, I would have been fine, you could still be alive, - the kid´s voice was so small, fragile -if this works you died in vain. – 

Fuck he thought, silently Cassian closed the door, he really should not have listened in.


End file.
